Missing Children Publication Hub

The publications in this section contain the results of our research as well as curated research on topics and issues relevant to missing children in Europe and the world. Example of the type of research you can find are understanding the causes of the different types of missing children cases in Europe, policy on missing children, search and rescue operations and family support. The menu and submenu options below will help you find what you're looking for.

If you'd like to share relevant research with us, please send the title, a link and description of the research to info@missingchildreneurope.eu.

Describes therapy with an adolescent girl and her infant daughter, following the girl's escape from illegal detention, physical abuse and forced prostitution, after she was trafficked to the UK from Eastern Europe.

Child Exploitation in the 21st Century by Daniel D. Broughton

New technology has changed how adults take advantage of children with a variety of new tools available. Victimisation has taken on new characteristics and internet, digital photography and ease of travel have all had an impact.

Congress of Local and Regional Authorities' toolkit to stop sexual violence against children by Anon

The Congress has produced a campaign toolkit in 22 language versions to encourage local and regional authorities in Europe to sign up to the Pact of Towns and Regions to Stop Sexual Violence against Children and take measures at local and regional level.

A review of the historical, neurological, and developmental vulnerabilities typical of child sex trafficking victims reveals serious doubts regarding their ability to control their choices or escape from a trafficker. The uniform shielding of all child victims of sex trafficking from legal culpability for the criminal conduct of traffickers is recommended.

Study to understand the incidence and severity of aggression among sexually abused girls who were trafficked and then used for commercial sexual exploitation. In addition, the impact of counseling for minimizing aggression from these girls was investigated.

Mythologies and Panics: Twentieth Century Constructions of Child Prostitution by Alyson Brown

Examines twentieth century social constructions of child prostitutes and child prostitution, the origins of these representations and the extent to which they have been used as metaphors for other perceived social, economic and political problems.

A study using social network analysis to explore internal trafficking of children intended for sexual exploitation.

Breaking the wall of silence: practitioners' responses to trafficked children and young people by Pearce, J. J., Hynes, P., and Bovarnick, S.

Review of international and UK literature, report on focus groups and interviews of practitioners from children's services, analysis of children and young people trafficked into the UK and within the UK for sexual exploitation.

Haunted: Treatment of a Child Survivor of Human Trafficking by Bennett-Murphy

Article examines challenges in the treatment of child survivors of human trafficking. Integrating psychoanalytic theory with models of self-development from the cognitive developmental psychology literature, the paper offers a clinical case presentation of an 11-year-old survivor

Missing Out: A study of child trafficking in the North-West, North-East and West Midlands by Beddoe, C

Interviews with social services, other agencies and voluntary sector organisations. Across the three regions there were 80 reported cases of known or suspected child victims of trafficking. 60% of these children have gone missing from social services care and have never been found.

Terre des Hommes Netherlands' four researchers identified 1,000 predators in 10 weeks. Call for all government agencies in charge of justice to identify and convict 100,000 predators committing the crime of WCST before the end of 2014

Children Rough Sleepers in the EU by Professor Kate Moss

Interim report on a project which focuses on homelessness and rough sleeping in children

Children Rough Sleepers in Europe : A Research Methodology by Professor Kate Moss and Paramjit Singh

Paper describing the methodology used in research into homelessness and rough sleeping in children.

Whose child now? Fifteen years of working to prevent the sexual exploitation of children in the UK by Stacey, L.

Report exploring the continuing hidden nature of the problem of sexually exploited children and describes what Barnardo's is doing today, while suggesting what action still remains to be taken to further protect exploited children and young people.

Explores how Crime Scripting can benefit crime investigations. This method has recently been used for investigations regarding child sex trafficking.

Meeting the Needs of Sexually Exploited Young People in London by Harper, Z, & Scott, S

A research report based on interviews with social services on the issue of child trafficking, in the UK.

Terminology Guidelines for the Protection of Children from Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse by Susanna Greijer and Jaap Doek

Communication is of critical importance in our efforts to respect, protect and implement the rights of the child. In order to make this communication with and between children, parents, governmental officials, professionals and volunteers working with or for children as effective as possible, we need to use terms and concepts that all these actors understand and consider respectful.

A survey on the transposition of Directive 2011/93/EU on combating sexual absue and sexual exploitation of children and child pornography by Missing Children Europe, ECPAT, eNasco

The main objective of the project was to compare the choice of ‘methods and strategies’ developed by Member States in order to achieve the binding results defined by the Directive and to assess them based on the best interests of the child.

No One Runs Away For No Reason: Understanding Safeguarding Issues When Children and Young People Go Missing From Home by L Hill, J Taylor, F Richards, S Reddington

Paper exploring the safeguarding concerns and responses for children and young people who run away or go missing from home

Research within the framework of developing a “Child Alert system”, a project coordinated by Child Focus.

Child Alerts for missing children: need for a balanced and integrated approach by Missing Children Europe

Endangered missing children for which a child alert system can be of use constitute an average 1 to 2% of the total cases of missing children. While child alert systems can be of use in those 1 to 2%, the overall problem of missing children - of which an average 60% concern children running away from situations of conflict, abuse, violence and neglect - requires a much more comprehensive approach, including measures aimed at prevention and empowerment.

Still in Harm's Way: An update report on trafficked and unaccompanied children going missing from care in the UK by ECPAT UK and Missing People

Following on from their ground-breaking 2016 report Heading Back to Harm, leading charities ECPAT UK and Missing People have revisited the issue using 2017 data to assess what has changed. This report shows that trafficked and unaccompanied children are still going missing from care at an alarmingly high rate.

Missing Persons A handbook of research by Karen Shalev Greene and Llian Alys

This groundbreaking book brings together for the first time ideas and expertise across this vast subject area into one interconnected publication. It explores the subjects of missing children, missing adults, the investigative process of missing person cases, and the families of missing persons.

The cultural nature of missing by Joe Apps

The notions of trying to define 'missing' and 'missingness' are fascinating. Many people, who are reported to authorities as being missing by family and friends, do not consider themselves as missing persons; when found, they are surprised that they have been considered as 'missing'. Adults have rights to do as they please and also the right to be forgotten.

Figures and Trends 2015 by Missing Children Europe

Every year Missing Children Europe collects data and statistics on missing children reported to hotlines for missing children active in all EU Member States and to the Cross Border Family mediator network.

Development of EU template and collection plan for statistical information and analysis on missing and sexually exploited children and trafficking in human beings in order to have reliable and comparable collection and analysis of indicators and other data, as well as enabling communication between EU, other EU bodies and third party organisations.

Report summarising findings from the Second National Incidence Studies of Missing, Abducted, Runaway, and Thrownaway Children. National estimates of missing children based on surveys of households, juvenile residential facilities, and law enforcement agencies.

Business Case-Situation Report: Gwent Multi-Agency Missing Children and Young People Project by Ian Jones

Findings from the Gwent Multi-Agency Missing Children Workshops

Children's rights must be a priority in the strategic guidelines by Anon

This submission's aim is to raise awareness among EU countries in Children disappearances especially those affected by migration. More support is needed by creating institutions that will help them.

Outlines the history and activation process of the Amber Alert, as well as the challenges and advantages experienced by the agencies involved.

Position paper: Child tracking devices by Missing Children Europe

A tracking device is an electronic security mechanism which allows monitoring the location of a person or an object. Over the past years, many tracking devices have been developed enabling adults to monitor and locate their children. This paper outlines Missing Children Europe's research and opinion on the issue of using child tracking devices.

Missing children figures and trends 2014 by Missing Children Europe

An annual data collection exercise to collect data on the numbers, categories and trends of missing children in Europe based on calls and cases dealt with by 116 000 missing children hotlines across Europe. While effective and standardised data collection mechanisms are lacking in Europe, this annual review provides for one of the only reliable and updated sources of information on missing children for the past year.

Missing and abducted children: A law enforcement guide to case investigation and program management by Eds: Preston Findlay, Robert G Lowery

Guide to assist law enforcement in the search for missing children. Its two goals are to provide (1) Police Officers with a step by step info. On how to respond to and investigate missing child cases, and (2) Administrators with the programmatic framework to manage the missing-child response within their agency's jurisdiction

Investigating missing children cases: a guide for first responders and investigators by Sprague, D. F.

Provides a solid training guide on missing children investigative techniques, enabling law enforcement professionals to respond confidently with a plan of action that offers the best possible chance for a positive outcome.

INTERACT: Report on multi-agency practical simulations on fictional cases in Belgium, France, Greece, Italy, the United Kingdom and Sweden by Missing Children Europe

This report illustrates the implementation and the results of the simulations of cases of missing children in migration is order to test practices and procedures for multi-agency collaboration at national and cross-border level.

The research addresses the question of how effective Supermarket Posters are in Helping to Find Missing Children

Missing Children in the European Union Mapping, data collection and statistics by European Commission

Collected and analysed data, and developed the basis to improve the mechanisms involved when children go missing in the 27 EU Member States.

Missing Children Memorandum to the EU by Delphine Moralis

Recommendations on effective European strategies regarding the cross-border problem of missing children.

Looking back: 15 years of prevention and responses to missing children in the European Union by Delphine Moralis

In 2001, the Council of the European Union adopted a Resolution on the contribution of civil society in finding missing or sexually exploited children under the Belgian Presidency of the Council of the EU. The Resolution coincided with the launch at the European Parliament of the European Federation for Missing and Sexually Exploited Children - now operating under the name Missing Children Europe. It also announced the beginning of a series of initiatives taken at the level of the EU to protect children from going missing. Measures taken over the past 15 years have included legislation, policy and funding, often promoting a public private partnerships response involving a broad range of stakeholders at different levels.
The presentation will outline and contextualise some of these key European initiatives and their impact at national level, including the latest data on the caseload of hotlines for missing children reachable in 29 European countries through the same European telephon

To date, few attempts have been made to evaluate the effectiveness of publicity campaigns, all of which were carried out in the USA. While scarce, the research tends to reveal disappointing results and suggest that publicity appeals don’t necessarily positively impact the investigation or search. The dissemination of images of missing children furthermore raises potential issues regarding the impact that it may have on the protection of the child’s privacy and overall wellbeing. Others however argue that appeals can help to gather vital information from the public and safeguard children at risk, with Child Alert systems in particular having been credited for safeguarding missing children (OJJPD, 2016). These views call for further research to ensure the effectiveness
of publicity appeals in their potential of saving lives, while limiting the negative impact for missing children and their families.

Family Factors and Runaway Missing Children: A Review of Theories and Research by Ravi Shankar B. G., Ravindra D.Gadkar

This paper reviews the research that has investigated the relationship between family factors and runaway incidence of Children. It also examines the prominent theories to understand runaway phenomena. It aims to assist practitioners and policy makers who work with children and families to make evidence informed
decisions

The European hotline number for missing children: A practical guide for hotline operators by Missing Children Europe

It contains key recommendations and examples of existing practices that every NGO running, or wishing to run, the 116000 hotline can draw inspiration from and make use of.

The Presentation of Child Trafficking in the UK: An Old and New Moral Panic? by Cree, V. E, Clapton G and Smith M

Explores the ways in which the highly emotive subject of child trafficking is presented in the UK. Examining the way the issue has been tackled at two moments in time: the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 21st century.

What the Professionals Know: The Trafficking of Children Into, and Through, the UK for Sexual Purposes by Carron Somerset

Study to identify the facts on the the trafficking of children for sexual exploitation into and through the UK.

Local Authority Support to Unaccompanied Asylum-Seeking Young People Changes since the Hillingdon Judgement (2003) by Elli Free

Provides a more detailed and analytical look at local authorities' responses to the Hillingdon judgement and LAC 13. In-depth interviews with staff at 18 local authorities in England. The majority of local authorities interviewed are now providing Section 20 support to 16- and 17-year-old unaccompanied children.

On my own: The accommodation needs of young people leaving care in England by Anon

Qualitative research with young people who have used a range of Barnardo's services to find accommodation.